Dr Breda Cullen, University of Glasgow, Health & Wellbeing

Principal Investigator: Dr Breda Cullen

1a: The aim of this research is to improve our understanding of variation in
cognitive performance in adults with behavioural and brain disorders such
as depression, bipolar disorder and multiple sclerosis. We will investigate
the nature and extent of cognitive impairment in these groups compared to
healthy controls, and we will develop multivariate models to explore the
relationship between cognitive performance and medical status,
demographic and lifestyle factors, and genetic markers.
1b: Cognitive impairment is common and functionally disabling in patients
with behavioural and brain disorders, but it remains poorly understood at
an individual level. This cross-sectional research will contribute to the
refinement of hypotheses regarding risk factors for cognitive impairment,
providing a foundation for future longitudinal research focused on
understanding, preventing and treating cognitive impairment in these
groups.
1c: This research will comprise a series of cross-sectional studies of baseline
cognitive data from the UK Biobank resource. Complex statistical models
will be used to estimate the relationship between key risk factors (e.g.
medical status and genetic markers) and cognitive performance, while
taking into account the additional influence of other demographic, social
and lifestyle factors.
1d: This research will make use of the full UK Biobank cohort. Sub-groups
with behavioural and brain disorders will be identified, and the remainder
of the cohort will serve as a control group for comparison.